Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W4/00—Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
  • H04M3/42—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers
  • H04M3/487—Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
  • H04M3/493—Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
  • H04M3/4931—Directory assistance systems
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M2207/00—Type of exchange or network, i.e. telephonic medium, in which the telephonic communication takes place
  • H04M2207/18—Type of exchange or network, i.e. telephonic medium, in which the telephonic communication takes place wireless networks
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
  • H04M3/42—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers
  • H04M3/487—Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
  • H04M3/493—Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
  • H04M3/4936—Speech interaction details
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W8/00—Network data management
  • H04W8/18—Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W8/00—Network data management
  • H04W8/18—Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
  • H04W8/20—Transfer of user or subscriber data
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W88/00—Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices
  • H04W88/18—Service support devices; Network management devices

Definitions

• the present invention relates to directories of communications contact numbers. More particularly, the present invention relates to directories of wireless communications contact numbers. Specifically, the present invention is a storage and transmission system to supply wireless communication contact numbers upon request.
• Land-line telecommunications involve the physical coupling through a conductive medium such as a copper wire or optical fiber, between locations having transceiving equipment, such as telephones.
• a conductive medium such as a copper wire or optical fiber
• transceiving equipment such as telephones.
• wireless radio-frequency-based communications
• This form of analog and digital communication requires no physical conduction medium and so is termed "wireless.”
• Wireless communications free the user from the obligation of remaining proximate to the base equipment associated with landline communications. Instead, signal transmission occurs via satellites, wireless booster towers, and miniaturized transceivers that form part of the mobile wireless communication equipment.
• the directories that are presently available are limited to the contact information for landline-based systems. That is, there exists no generally available directory of contact information for wireless systems. The lack of such a directory or set of directories, may be blamed in part on the fact that only for wireless systems is the receiving party charged by the service provider for incoming contacts. Owners of wireless communications systems therefore tend to reserve publication of contact information in order to minimize unsolicited contacts and thereby control wireless system use costs. On the other hand, the service providers for landline-based systems obtain revenue by charging only the party that initiates a communication. There appears to be a possibility that owners of wireless systems v/ill be relieved of the burden of double charging for incoming and outgoing communications.
• a centralized database of contact information for wireless devices including, but not limited to, pagers, cellular phones, wireless portable computing devices such as laptops and personal digital assistants, and the like.
• a plurality of wireless communications service providers have separate and isolated databases of subscriber information including subscriber contact information (e.g., the pager or cellular phone number).
• subscriber contact information e.g., the pager or cellular phone number.
• subscriber contact information e.g., the pager or cellular phone number.
• the present invention involves a gathering of that disparate information by polling at selectable frequencies the data available from such providers.
• the present invention includes means for retrieving such information, manipulating it for ease of accessibility by other disparate database search systems, and storing it at either a centralized location or regional terminals for ease of retrieval.
• the invention further includes means for interfacing with directory assistance service providers, Internet directory assistance service providers, and even individual contact information seekers so as to facilitate the exchange of such information using software compatible with the operating platforms of such varied wireless contact information requesters.
• FIG. 1 is a simplified diagrammatic flowchart representation of the primary components of the wireless directory assistance system of the present invention.
• FIG. 2 is a representation of a wireless device and the screen display for entry into the contact information system of the present invention.
• FIGS. 3-6 are screen displays illustrating the steps and resultant information associated with conducting a contact information query.
• FIGS. 7-20 are screen displays illustrating the steps for entry of contact information associated with the system of the present invention.
• a wireless directory system 10 of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1.
• the system 10 involves the coupling of those components and associated software to enable interaction resulting in an accessible wireless contact information directory.
• a primary component of the system 10 is a central network station 20.
• the network station 20 is a computing device having mass storage capability and means for carrying out software-based instructions.
• the network station 20 is preferably a minicomputer or a mainframe computer but is not limited thereto.
• the network station 20 is programmable to receive and store contact information including, but not limited to, the access numbers of any of a plurality of wireless transceivers 30 and contact-identifying information associated with those numbers, e.g., a person's name.
• the contact information associated with the transceivers 30 is preferably obtained by the station 20 through service provider database stations or local exchange carriers represented as stations 100, 101 , ... N in FIG. 1. It is a matter of legislative obligation that such wireless service providers provide to any other telecommunications service provider the contact information of its subscribers. Therefore, in order to gain access to that information, the station 20 also includes telecommunications routing and switching mechanism so as to operate as a telecommunications station.
• the system 10 includes a router/Communicator Identification Code (CIC) switch station 40 that enables the central station 20 to interface with the service provider stations 100, 101,... , N.
• CIC router/Communicator Identification Code
• the contact information received by the central station 20 from the service provider stations 100, 101 ,... , N is formatted as necessary to enable directory assistance service providers represented by site 50 to interface with the station 20 to query it for contact information, possibly in exchange for a fee.
• the manipulation of that information results in a unique database of wireless telecommunications device users heretofore not available.
• the station 20 is further programmed to communicate with Internet-based directory assistance service providers 60 as well as individuals 70 interested in obtaining such contact information.
• the station 20 is a routing, switching, data storage, and interface system. All communications with the various stations to which the central station 20 is coupled may occur through digital, analog, T1 , T3, CAT5, frame-based data transport protocols, asynchronous mode transport protocols, among others.
• the central station 20 preferably polls the service provider stations 100, 101 ,... , N one or more times per day and is preferably always accessible by contact sites 50, 60, or 70 worldwide so as to provide essentially real-time contact information.
• contact information software is preferably loaded onto a wireless device. It is represented in FIG. 2 as a cellular phone; however, it may be any sort of cellular, wireless, mobile, or network-capable telephone or signal exchange device.
• the exchange program of the present invention is initiated by accessing the program when it flashes onto the device's display. For example, in FIG. 2, the applicable screen display shows "WDN.”
• the first screen display provided upon accessing the program of the present invention permits the user to access contact information such as by wireless number, landline number, fax number, email address, shipping address, vacation number, temporary number, emergency number, personal directory number, and pager number.
• contact information such as by wireless number, landline number, fax number, email address, shipping address, vacation number, temporary number, emergency number, personal directory number, and pager number.
• Each choice is category specific, thereby allowing the user to delimit the particular database to be searched to access contact information of interest.
• a voice recognition program is activated and a second screen display is presented, as shown in FIG. 4.
• the display of FIG. 4 prompts the user to speak certain attributes of the individual or entity for which contact information is to be accessed. For example, those attributes may be country, state or province, city, name of contact, and occupation. Of course, other attributes may be employed in the contact system.
• the spoken attribute information fails to result in a reasonable "hit" of the contact information database accessed through the station 20
• the user may
• the system is further programmed to provide, upon finding a contact information set corresponding to the input attributes, the contact information, as shown by example in FIGS. 5 and 6.
• the system also optionally provides for generation of an audio display of the contact information.
• voice activation and feedback is provided using conventional and commercially available voice recognition and output systems that may be linked with the central station 20, providers, and any other sources of contact information.
• the user further has the option to scroll through similar or related listings, to contact the individual or entity listed, to save the information to a local or remote database, to leave a message that is textual or audio, or to otherwise manipulate the information.
• the user as desired may arrange the information for display.
• the software of the present invention is further programmed to enable individual users to access the database or groups of databases in order to enter contact information data.
• the software creates a series of interactive screen displays that a user employs to add contact information to the user's local database housed in the wireless device, a central or combination database regulated by the station 20, or both.
• the user may select from an array of listing choices that may be modified as desired.
• the software is configured to permit the user to enter the information by touching a keypad of the wireless device, through voice input, or both.
• the user gains access to contact information addition or modification by entering the correct password.
• the contact name is entered.
• the appropriate contact address information is then entered.
• the occupation (or other desired attribute) of the contact may optionally be entered.
• the wireless alphanumerics for the contact for the party of interest is entered into the system 10.
• Related information that may or may not be of interest such as landline number, emergency number, email address, and a temporary number, as shown in FIGS. 16-19, may be entered, or one or more may be skipped.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)
• Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)
• Non-Silver Salt Photosensitive Materials And Non-Silver Salt Photography (AREA)
• Radar Systems Or Details Thereof (AREA)
• Small-Scale Networks (AREA)
• Exchange Systems With Centralized Control (AREA)

Priority Applications (7)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (3)

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ID=22616390

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (11)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (26)

Citations (2)

Family Cites Families (10)

• 2000
  • 2000-12-06 DE DE60021761T patent/DE60021761T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-12-06 US US09/731,110 patent/US7558562B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2000-12-06 WO PCT/US2000/042616 patent/WO2001043401A2/en active IP Right Grant
  • 2000-12-06 DK DK00992395T patent/DK1238530T3/da active
  • 2000-12-06 AU AU43102/01A patent/AU4310201A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2000-12-06 ES ES00992395T patent/ES2246932T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-12-06 CA CA2393691A patent/CA2393691C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2000-12-06 MX MXPA02005615A patent/MXPA02005615A/es active IP Right Grant
  • 2000-12-06 EP EP00992395A patent/EP1238530B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-12-06 AT AT00992395T patent/ATE301369T1/de active
• 2003
  • 2003-06-06 ZA ZA200204556A patent/ZA200204556B/en unknown

Patent Citations (2)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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